If you’re not interested in an SUV or a truck, then you may be shopping for a new sedan. And, luckily enough, many automakers are still making great sedans for customers to choose from. The Kia Forte and the VW Jetta are just two examples of that. Here’s a comparison between those two cars.

What the Kia Forte and the VW Jetta have in common

As Kelley Blue Book wrote, the Forte and the Jetta are very similar in a lot of aspects, all the way down to their price points. In that regard, the Forte starts at about $18,700 while the Jetta starts at about $18,900. Of course, both cars have a lot of trims and options that will change their final prices, but still, they’re both very affordable cars to own. 

And, while a cheap car may not come with much, that isn’t the case for either the Forte or the Jetta. As Kelley Blue Book said, both cars have a lot of standard features, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, as well as standard smart safety features too. On top of that, Kelley Blue Book also mentions that both cars have a similar standard engine. 

The Forte has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that gets 147-hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. It has a fuel economy of about 27 MPG in the city and 37 MPG on highways, for a combined 31 MPG. The Jetta on the other hand, has a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that also gets 147-hp. The Jetta’s standard engine gets 184 lb-ft of torque though, and it gets 30 MPG in the city and 40 MPG on highways, for a combined 34 MPG. 

Both cars also did well in their safety tests and both cars also have similar levels of cargo space. Kelley Blue Book says that the Forte has 15.3 cu. ft. of cargo space while the Jetta has 14.1 cu. ft. of cargo space. Both cars can also seat five people.

What’s different between the Kia Forte and the VW Jetta

In general, Kelley Blue Book liked both the Forte and the Jetta, but they did have some differences. For example, while their engines may seem similar on paper, Kelley Blue Book mentions that the Jetta’s engine and overall powertrain provided better “driving dynamics.” Additionally, the Jetta also comes with a digital dash, which Kelley Blue Book liked.

That said, Kelley Blue Book doesn’t say that the Forte has poor driving dynamics. Instead, Kelley Blue Book also praised the Forte’s handling, though not to the same level that the Jetta got. 

Another difference was in their interiors. Kelley Blue Book said that, despite the fact that both cars have similar dimensions, the Jetta is a small sedan that has the interior space that rivals midsize sedans. On the other hand, one of the flaws that Kelley Blue Book said that the Forte had that the Jetta didn’t have was that there were some cheap hard plastics in the interior of the Forte.

Which one’s better?

But the one area that ultimately decided this comparison for Kelley Blue Book was in the cars’ value. While both cars have similar price points, Kelley Blue Book says that the Forte comes with Kia’s standard 10-year or 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. The Jetta doesn’t have such a great standard warranty.

Because of that, as well as the minor differences across the board, Kelley Blue Book says that the Forte is slightly better than the Jetta. But, with that said, both are still very similar great cars that their owners will probably love.